Adams said the two officials' "symbolic subway rides followed the typical pattern of ignoring the impact that terror concerns have on Brooklyn and the other boroughs, which are also potentially at risk."

Performances of the Big Head Brigade will take place at 12:00, 1:30, 3:00 and 5:00 at the DUMBO Arts Festival 2014 on Saturday and Sunday.

“Frog Went a Courtin’”, performers Ben Parish and Jessica Hallman walk hand in hand, at noon, stopping occasionally to perform their rendition of the classic folk song “Frog Went a Courtin’”
Double headed Frog/Mouse heads by Megan Marlatt

“Free Style Rappers”, moving to the beat, Danielle and Megan groove out to rap music at 1:30 p.m.
Trinidad Jones and Drake heads by Danielle Loleng

“Angel, Artist, Devil”, The Artist walks in between the Angel and the Devil, while the later fight over who will win her soul. They march to the sound of TIC-TOC. 3 p.m.
Angel, Artist and Devil heads by Megan Marlatt

“Critics at Large”, two mechanics of the Cultural Industry, Big Head Jerry Saltz and Roberta Smith wear grey, mechanic overalls and go gallery hopping with clip boards and very big pencils. They give the thumbs up to all of Dumbo’s artists. 5 p.m.
Concept by Katarina Wong, heads by Megan Marlatt

Kudos to a brave man from Gowanus who stopped a man who allegedly stabbed his boss on Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights today at roughly 1:15 p.m. According to various reports, the perpetrator was a worker who was angry about not being paid.

According to the Brooklyn Eagle, the attacker fled up Montague Street, striking an innocent passerby while trying to escape, knocking him to the ground and injuring him, as well.

The man from Gowanus grabbed the perp and took his knife from his pocket, then held him in a bank for the cops.

Thousands of lovers of literature and those who create it rubbed shoulders at the ninth Brooklyn Book Festival Sunday in Downtown Brooklyn.

Since the festival began, it has evolved into an enormous event for publishers, writers and readers, who discover new books, genres and authors.

Book lovers strolled from booth to booth, attended workshops in venues like St. Francis College and the Brooklyn Historical Society, and heard authors like Jonathan Lethem, Naiomi Klein, Salman Rushdie, Joyce Carol Oats, Roz Chast and Rita Dove.

These authors spoke on the topic of Sex, Love and Poetry: Angelo Nikolopoulos (Obscenely Yours), Carl Phillips (Silverchest), and Rachel Zucker (The Pedestrians), and a proxy for r. erica doyle. It was moderated by Hafizah Geter, Cave Canem Foundation.

Kids also got to hear authors, and participate in talks -- and did artwork in the Kids Tent.

The NYCHA dwellings in best condition are in Staten Island. The worst are in the Bronx, followed by Brooklyn. (Stringer)

On Sunday, Comptroller Scott Stringer called for the projected surpluses from the Battery Park City Authority to be directed toward repairs at New York City Housing Authority properties, where conditions have deteriorated significantly in recent years.

NYU gives as their reason for withdrawing: a lawsuit by NYSNA nurses, who were trying to get NYU to honor their promise to rehire as many of these nurses as posssible.(The promise that was in writing in the Fortis proposal.)

So let's be clear:

NYU is telling northwest Brooklyn that they are walking away from a $150 million state of the art ambulatory care center in Cobble Hill because two dozen nurses wanted them to honor their promise to hire them?

As part of the Fortis Property Group’s bid to buy the LICH campus in Cobble Hill, NYU promised to “preserve the legacy of excellent care provided at LICH” by maximizing the number of rehired LICH nurses at the walk-in unit.

Brooklyn politicians recently voiced support for the LICH nurses and other healthcare workers.

Juniors Restaurant was overrun with Brooklyn Democrats Monday morning, as pols of all stripes made the pilgrimage to pay homage to party boss Frank Seddio, who pulled off a coup during the recent primary.

According to the Brooklyn Eagle, Seddio exuded confidence about Domenic Recchia's chances against Michael Grim:

“What we did with John Sampson, we’re going to do with Domenic Recchia. What we did with Jessie Hamilton, we’re going to do with Dominic Recchia. What we did with Jo Anne Simon, we’re going to do with Domenic Recchia. What we did with Felix Ortiz, we’re going to do with Domenic Recchia!” he said.

Lots of photos of the party-goers accompany the story -- Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, indicted Sen. John Sampson (with his arms around Seddio), Jo Anne Simon, Carlos Menchaca, Jesse Hamilton, Felix Ortiz, Emma Wolfe, and more. (Even Zephyr Teachout, who just happened to show up for breakfast )

According to Crain's, the gondolas would eventually branch out to connect Dumbo to the South Street Seaport, and Greenpoint, Brooklyn, and Long Island City, Queens, to Roosevelt Island. (There, the network would meet up with the existing gondola route between Roosevelt Island and Manhattan.)

The idea was proposed Tuesday at the Massey Knakal Brooklyn Real Estate Summi.

<<"We have to start thinking about other tools [to spur Brooklyn office development]," he said, citing examples including the possibility of creating a density bonus, which would allow developers to build more income-generating space than zoning would normally allow, or rethinking zoning laws to help make commercial construction more attractive.>>

Monday, September 15, 2014

Tuesday at 6:00 PM, Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams will host a forum on emergency preparedness with Office of Emergency Management (OEM) Commissioner Joseph Esposito in the courtroom of Brooklyn Borough Hall.

As a part of OEM’s efforts for National Emergency Preparedness Month, the group will explain the measures that city residents can use to be storm-ready during hurricane season as well as response procedures to follow in the wake of a natural disaster.

Also speaking at the forum will include partnering representatives from FDNY, NYPD, FEMA, the American Red Cross, National Grid, and Con Edison.

Residents can get answers to questions like: Where is the closest hospital to Cobble Hill / Red Hook during a disaster; what should we do with the kids now that pediatric surge capacity has been eliminated; how to survive Brooklyn Hospital's emergency room during times of crisis; which hospital will our elected officials go to during a major health event, and how can we get there?

At a CB2 committee meeting on Monday night (tonight), Eitan Adler, a project manager in the revenue division of the Department of Parks and Recreation, will brief the committee and obtain feedback on a pending request for proposals for a food vendor in Cadman Plaza Park. (That will be so nice for the rats.)

Also, Tucker Reed, president of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, will present on the local development corporation's plans for "BAM Park," and a string of "open spaces" between Borough Hall and Brooklyn Bridge Park.

September 15, 6 p.m., in the Dining Room A (off of the cafeteria), The Brooklyn Hospital Center, 121 DeKalb Avenue at St. Felix Street, in Fort Greene.

On Monday, New York City Public Advocate Letitia James will release a report at City Hall that says some of those chemicals found at nail salons can be deadly.

Toluene, formaldehyde, and dibutyl phthalate -- known as “the toxic trio” -- are found in many nail products, and they have been linked with reproductive harm, respiratory problems, and cancer, James said in a release.

Generally, there is little-to-no information given to workers, many of whom are recent immigrants, regarding protecting themselves from the chemicals they may regularly come into contact with at nail salons.

At least one report found that “the intensity of exposure for salon workers is 1,200 times what it would be for the average American”.

Though there are almost 5,000 salons throughout New York State, there are only 27 inspectors statewide.

Not many people know there are Republicans in Brooklyn, but not only do they exist, some of them are Tea Partiers to boot!

If you're curious about what they're up to, here's a notice we received from the Brooklyn Young Republican Club earlier today:

Attention all Tea Party, Republicans, Libertarians, and those just fed-up about Obama and his dismantling of the American system of government: Come visit with the Brooklyn Young Republican Club as President Glenn P. Nocera hosts ABC Radio Personality and President of the Brooklyn Tea Party Frankie “The Kid” Russo.

Seating and space is limited. Kosher pizza and refreshments will be provided compliments of the Brooklyn Tea Party.Sunday Sept 14, 5PM-6:30PM616 East 4th Street Brooklyn, NY 11218-4922. The will be held in the Back Yard, between Cortelyou Road and Ditmas Ave.

On Wednesday ahigh intensitysolar flare erupted from the sun
and shot towards Earth. It may affect high frequency (HF) radios and electronics for an hour or so -- but what NOAA is specifically warning about is the unusual amount of " Proton 100MeV Integral Flux," which presents "increased biological risk to astronauts or passengers and crew in high latitude, high altitude flights."

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Because cable companies want to slow down many Internet sites, Internet neutrality groups loaded the web with symbolic "loading" icons today, to remind everyone what an Internet without net neutrality would look like, and drive emails and calls to lawmakers.

Despite the backing of de Blasio, the Working Families Party and multiple union locals, Pete Sikora lost to Jo Anne Simon in Assembly District 52 yesterday.Some voters said they were miffed that de Blasio dissed Simon, the "heir apparent" to Joan Millman. Simon has worked constructively for the community for decades.

Kings County District Attorney Kenneth P. Thompson said Tuesday that a former Brooklyn bank teller has been charged with using her position to funnel more than $80,000 out of numerous customer accounts to pay her family’s bills.

The defendant was ID'd as as Janese Ferguson, 27, of 146 Beach 59th Street (in the Arverne section of Queens).

She was arraigned in Brooklyn Criminal Court on charges of second-degree grand larceny, second-degree forgery, second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument and first-degree identity theft.

She was released without bail and ordered to return to court on October 29. Ferguson faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.

Thompson said in a statement, “Within just weeks of being hired as a teller, this defendant allegedly stole money from the bank accounts of customers to pay her own bills."

Ferguson had been hired as a teller at the Signature Bank branch at 26 Court Street in Downtown Brooklyn on November 7, 2012. Between December 2012 and April 2014, Ferguson allegedly made 58 unauthorized transactions from 13 different Signature Bank accounts totaling $80,235.38.

According to the complaint, Ferguson made the transactions—mostly electronic transfers--to benefit herself, her husband, Randell Ferguson and her mother, Darlene Brown. Some of the unauthorized transactions included money transfers to pay Ferguson’s student loan bills and her mother’s credit card bills, and to make Western Union wire transfers in Randell Ferguson’s name.

Ferguson also allegedly created counterfeit checks using Signature Bank clients’ accounts and routing numbers, and used the checks to make payments to collection agencies on behalf of her husband.

DA Thompson said the case was brought to him by his new Cybercrimes Unit.

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Don't like hospitals and libraries closing? How about crowded schools or condos going up in your park? So few people vote in primaries that the ones who do have the strength of many. So vote, and rule the world.

Monday, September 8, 2014

P.S. 9 in Prospect Heights is throwing a Bounce Back to School Carnival on Saturday, September 20, from 11am - 5pm.

The school is located at 80 Underhill Avenue (at St. Mark’s Avenue)

2,3 Grand Army Plaza
Q to 7th Avenue

This year’s carnival will feature five Bouncy Houses (including 1 for toddlers), face painting, carnival games and a huge outdoor dance party by Baby Loves Disco. There will be BBQ, drinks, popcorn and other snacks for all to enjoy.

(Rain date - Sunday, September 21st)

What are the entry fees?
$5 /Adult,
$2 Children (Children under 2 Free) – Children’s ticket is good for 1 Free Bounce!

The 10-story, 193-room "1 Hotel BBP" looms over Brooklyn Bridge Park. The bouncy walkway and Squibb Park have been closed during this phase of construction.

According to the 1 Hotel website, 1 Hotel BBP will be nature-themed: "A place to experience the sensual goodness that comes from the use of reclaimed materials, the freshest organic ingredients and a considered way of doing things."